What does custom software development cost a startup?
Cost drivers
What pushes a project's cost and timeline up?
A handful of choices settle almost everything: how many platforms you launch on, how complex sign-in is, whether you take payments, which systems you connect to, how much design matters and how sensitive the data is. Switch on the ones your first version will really have: the gauges show how effort and duration move, and which phases of our method stretch. There are no figures, on purpose: without a scope they would be made up.
Your project
EffortLow
DurationShort
Phases that stretch
- Understand
- Decide
- Build
- Launch
- Grow
Effort low, duration short. No phase stretches: this is the baseline.
Qualitative gauges, not a quote: they show where the work goes, not what it costs.
What brings cost and time down
- Launching on one platform: a web app already reaches every phone.
- Using proven services for sign-in, payments and email instead of rebuilding them.
- Leaving integrations for version two, when you know which ones matter.
- A written scope, and one person on your side who makes the calls.
Working together
Which engagement model should you choose?
The model matters as much as the scope: the same project weighs differently depending on who carries the risk of the unknowns. These are the four we work with, downsides included.
| Model | How it works | Best when | In its favour | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed scope for the MVP | We write down together what goes into the first version and what stays out; the price is tied to that scope. | Your first MVP, when the goal is clear and you want to know the spend before you start. | Budget known from day one. It forces you to pick the essentials. | Every change of scope gets renegotiated. It needs proper definition work up front. |
| Time and materials | You pay for the work done, by the day, with priorities that can shift from one cycle to the next. | Products with many unknowns, or a SaaS that keeps evolving after its first customers. | Maximum flexibility, no time lost rewriting contracts. | The final spend isn't known in advance: it needs regular reporting. |
| Growth retainer | A monthly commitment across product, SEO, campaigns and experiments, with goals reset every cycle. | After launch, when improving the numbers month by month is the job: growth marketing. | Continuity, and a team that already knows the product and the data. | Only works with clear metrics and someone on your side who decides. |
| Fractional CTO | Part-time technical leadership: stack, roadmap, team, investors' technical questions. | You have no technical co-founder and face decisions that will last for years: a fractional CTO. | CTO-level experience without a full-time hire. | It doesn't replace the people writing code every day: it works alongside a team. |
The quote
Why does the quote come after a call?
Because a serious quote describes a scope, and a scope is written together. A figure given before knowing who will use the product, what already exists and what can wait would be a guess: reassuring, perhaps, but bound to change.
You get in touch
Through the contact form, by email or by phone. We reply within one business day.
We talk it through
On a call: the goal, the users, deadlines, what already exists and how much you want to put into the first phase.
You get a written proposal
Scope, what stays out, phases, the engagement model, risks and assumptions still to test.
Questions about cost and time
How much does it cost to build an MVP?
It depends on what goes into the first version: platforms, sign-in, payments, integrations and AI outweigh every other choice. Estimates you'll find online for an app run from a few thousand euros to well over a hundred thousand, and they are written by people selling the work. For a figure on your project we need a call; the route is laid out on our MVP development page.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
There's no standard duration: native apps, payments, integrations and sensitive data stretch it the most. Be wary of anyone promising a date before they know the scope. The configurator on this page shows which phases stretch; the actual duration goes into the proposal, after the call.
Fixed price or paying by the hour?
A fixed price tied to a fixed scope suits you when you know what to build and need a firm budget, as with a first MVP. Paying by the day suits you when there are many unknowns and priorities keep moving. Plenty of products start on a fixed scope and switch to time and materials after launch.
How much does it cost to maintain an app after launch?
Beyond the build there are running costs: servers, third-party services, app store accounts, and updates for each new version of iOS and Android. There is no fixed percentage: the real figure depends on how many platforms and integrations you chose, and our proposal itemises it.
Why don't you publish a price list?
Because two projects with the same label, say two MVPs, can involve very different amounts of work. A price list would give you a reassuring but wrong number. We'd rather explain what drives the cost and put a figure in writing once we know the project.
What do I need to ask for a quote?
The idea, who will use it and what already exists: documents, a prototype or a live product. Get in touch through our contact page: we reply within one business day to set up the call.
Want a figure for your project, not someone else's?
We reply within one business day.
Book a call